Animus Surgical has launched SkinBond Multi, a skin glue supplied in single-use pipettes.

SkinBond Multi contains n-butyl cyanoacrylate, with the product’s differentiation lying in its single-use packaging rather than the adhesive itself.

SkinBond is suitable for both the final closure of surgical incisions and for adhesing the edges of minor skin lacerations.

Nick Butcher MRCVS, the owner of Animus Surgical, said: “From my own years in both small animal and equine practice, I understand the need for a fuss-free solution for those final touches in surgery and minor wounds.

“SkinBond Multi is designed for precisely this.

"The single-use pipettes offer unparalleled convenience whilst eliminating cross-contamination risk and reducing waste.”

Animus highlights that the new product is also transparently billable, in line with CMA guidelines 

https://animussurgical.com/products/animus-skinbond-multi-10-x-0-25ml 

VetSurgeon member Viki Edmondson MRCVS is taking part in a drive to help 13-year-old Octavia Woodward, who was born with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), raise £100,000 to help The SMA Trust.

Viki, a well-known vet in the carriage driving world, will be joining Octavia on 'Octavia's Mad Marathon', a five-day, 110 mile carriage drive from Windsor to Wincanton.

Octavia will be driving her pony, Diddy, with her mother Henrietta as co-driver. Meanwhile, Viki will be driving a pair of Gelderlander horses. They'll be leaving the main ring at the Royal Windsor Horse Show with a support crew at 3:30pm on 13th May.

Viki graduated from Bristol Veterinary School in 1993. Since 2001 she has run her own equine practice plus a small animal surgery from the Newdigate, Surrey farm she shares with husband Peter. Viki has known Octavia since she was born and it was Viki who paired up Diddy with Octavia and encouraged her to progress from walking round the roads to the excitement of "off-roading". Viki will be providing support and encouragement to Octavia during the trip - of course with any veterinary help being close by.

To support Viki and Octavia, visit: http://www.justgiving.com/vikithevet

Davies Veterinary Specialists (DVS), the private small animal referral centre based in Hertfordshire, has installed two new state-of-the-art ESAOTE ultrasound machines.

DVS says The MyLab Twice Vet and the MyLab Class C Vet provide fast, efficient and highly accurate imaging in a wide range of applications, including high-definition abdominal, cardiac, musculoskeletal and ophthalmic scans.

The MyLab Twice Vet, with its range of probes including the broadband 18MHz linear probe, will be used for general ultrasonographic imaging at DVS. It is capable of the most refined contrast media examinations that, for example, can help to locate and identify a liver tumour that may be rendered invisible when using conventional diagnostic procedures.

The MyLab Class C will be used predominantly for advanced cardiac work, including trans-oesophageal echocardiography for interventional procedures in theatre.

Pedro Oliveira, European Veterinary Specialist in Cardiology at DVS said: "The trans-oesophageal probe is currently a very rare piece of equipment in veterinary diagnostics. It gives us the capacity to obtain unique views of the heart, especially the heart base which can be a very difficult area to examine with regular echocardiography. It also allows real-time and direct monitoring of procedures, such as deployment of devices to occlude patent ductus arteriosus, surgery and anaesthesia in critical patients."

The first patient to benefit from the new My Lab Class C was an 11-year-old, female German shepherd dog with suspected cardiac neoplasia following several episodes of haemorrhage into the pericardium. A normal echocardiographic examination identified a small suspect area but it was in a part of the heart that was very difficult to approach surgically.

However, a trans-oesophageal examination revealed that another small mass close to the tip of the right auricle was actually the origin of the bleeding. The dog underwent surgery to remove the mass and subsequently made a full recovery. Without the My Lab Class C there would have been no viable options for this dog.

Clive Elwood, Managing Director at DVS, said: "Combining the best possible on-site diagnostic equipment with some of Europe's finest clinicians enables us to provide the best possible service and outcome for our patients, across multiple disciplines."  

Two guides for equine veterinarians have just been produced by Hallmarq Veterinary Imaging covering the role of MRI in diagnosing lameness.

MRI Cases in the Standing Sedated Horse looks at fourteen cases from seven clinics in the Hallmarq user community. Compiled for Hallmarq by Dr Julien Olive DMV and complete with clinical MRI images, this 38 page booklet reviews the history, clinical examination, MRI examination, diagnosis, treatment and outcome of each case. The examples illustrate how MRI can enable a diagnosis to be made and a suitable course of treatment prescribed in difficult or ambiguous cases.

The second booklet, MRI Protocols for the Standing Sedated Horse, focuses on the procedures and terminology associated with MRI, from a brief description of the technology and the types of image that can be obtained, to a more detailed description of the methodology.

Hallmarq says that with 20 scanning centres now operating in the UK and Europe the ability now to refer selected cases for an MRI examination makes these booklets relevant to routine practice.

The booklets are available free of charge from Hallmarq for equine veterinarians and veterinary students, and they may be previewed on Hallmarq’s website.

Hallmarq Veterinary Imaging: (01483) 877812 or email info@hallmarq.net

The RCVS will be holding two online workshops to give an overview of its 1CPD platform and how to use it most effectively.

1CPD was launched in 2020 with the aim of providing an easy-to-use platform for veterinary surgeons to use to plan, record and reflect on their continuing professional development (CPD).

The workshops, which are taking place on Wednesday 9th December 2020, are designed to help those who are not yet familiar with the platform, or have some limited experience of it but would like some additional guidance.

The first workshop takes place at midday and is for those members of the profession who haven’t yet used the platform. The session will give an overview of how 1CPD works and the benefits of using it for planning, recording and reflecting on CPD. No prior knowledge is assumed, and complete beginners are especially welcome. There'll be an opportunity to ask questions. 

The second workshop takes place at 7pm and is for those who have some experience of using 1CPD but may have further questions, for example, about how to use some of its features such as the planning module and how to best make use of the reflective notes and comments feature.

Both of the workshops will last for approximately an hour each.

Susan Paterson, Chair of the RCVS Education Committee, said: “We’ve seen fantastic take up of the 1CPD platform in less than a year – with around 65% of UK-practising veterinary surgeons and an amazing 80% of veterinary nurses using it to plan, record and reflect on their professional development. The feedback that we receive has been overwhelmingly positive, with the even the more technically-challenged amongst us finding 1CPD intuitive.

"Although the numbers are very encouraging, there is a cohort of people who have not yet actively engaged with the platform and maybe are unsure about using it or are put off by the thought of having to learn how to use a brand new online system. The aim of these workshops is to guide and reassure those who are hesitant that the 1CPD system is very simple and easy-to-use with lots of useful features. In the long run, it will save you a lot of time and effort when it comes to recording your CPD because it’s there on your phone or tablet, ready to update as-and-when you need to."

Richard Burley, Chief Technology Officer for the RCVS, added: “We are very glad that the 1CPD platform developed by our team here has been so well received. We are continuing to improve and update the platform based on user feedback to improve its design and usability and would welcome any further constructive comments that members of the professions have about it. We do hope you those who are both unfamiliar with the system, and those who have used it but need further advice, can join us for these sessions to find out both how to use 1CPD and how to get the best out of it.”

To sign up to one of the workshops, visit: www.rcvs.org.uk/news-and-views/events/1cpd-online-workshop.

For those who aren’t able to make it on the day, recorded versions of all of the workshops will be made available to watch again after the event.

To download 1CPD as an app for use on iOS (Apple) or Android devices, or to access the web version, visit: www.rcvs.org.uk/1CPD

The RCVS is to hold an online hustings on Tuesday, 19 March at 7pm to help voters decide who they wish to vote for in the upcoming RCVS Council elections, and is inviting members of the veterinary profession to suggest questions for the candidates to answer.

Gordon Hockey, RCVS Registrar said: "From feedback we've received, one of the reasons why people don't vote is because they know little about the candidates or their views. We hope this hustings will provide the candidates with a platform to address the veterinary electorate directly, and give voters the chance to put their own questions to those hoping to serve on Council."

The hustings will be run as a live webinar by 'The Webinar Vet' and will be free to listen to. However, the College says that due to the high number of candidates standing for election, it isn't possible to hold a debate, so questions should be submitted in advance (see below). Each candidate will be allocated around three minutes to introduce themselves and answer up to three questions of their choosing. The whole event will run for just under an hour.

Anthony Chadwick, who runs The Webinar Vet, will moderate proceedings, and Gordon Hockey will be on-hand to address any factual inaccuracies.

Veterinary surgeons can register to listen to the hustings at www.thewebinarvet.com/rcvs and submit their questions at the same time; alternatively, questions can be emailed to Ian Holloway at the RCVS (i.holloway@rcvs.org.uk).

Questions should be relevant to the role of the RCVS and the role of Council Members (see www.rcvs.org.uk/about). If questions should remain anonymous, please say so.

Ballot papers and candidates' biographies and manifestos are due to be posted on 7 March. Votes may be cast online, by text message or by post, by 5pm on Friday, 26 April 2013.

Veterinary surgeons can consider a wider range of options when it comes to neutering cats and dogs. This was the message from veterinary reproduction specialist Angelika von Heimendahl MSc BVM(Berlin) MRCVS DipECAR, at a recent seminar on reproductive health organised by Virbac.

Mrs von Heimendahl, who runs the Cambridge based referral centre, Veterinary Reproduction Service, said: "Globally the approach to neutering varies hugely. Although neutering is considered as part of responsible pet ownership in the UK and performed routinely in every practice in the country, at the other end of the scale, in Germany and Scandinavia for example, this is considered mutilation and is prohibited by law.

"Despite the very low neutering rates - Norway 7% compared to UK around 80% - in these countries they do not have a problem with stray dogs, indicating that there are other factors such as education and attitudes to dog ownership that play a major role."

She added: "In other continental countries, bitch spaying is usually by ovariectomy rather than ovariohysterectomy. 

"Some practices are now successfully offering clients a range of options, including medical castration, especially with new reproduction drugs recently introduced onto the market. The non-surgical contraceptive slow-release implant, deslorelin (Suprelorin), a GnRH superagonist lasts for six months, making medical castration a more practical solution for many owners."

Mrs Von Heimendahl also suggested that deslorelin, although off-licence, can be used in bitches as an alternative to spaying: "Whilst neutering can have advantages in terms of reduced incidence of certain cancers, there are also advantages of retaining both male and female dogs intact. Some cancers are less likely to occur in intact animals, for example there is a reduced risk of transitional cell carcinomas, haemangiosarcomas and osteosarcomas. Obesity and its associated problems are also less of an issue, which is a particular benefit for owners where the necessary reduced calorie intake post neutering is difficult to achieve." 

Chris Taylor MRCVS, technical director of seminar organiser, Virbac, added that medical castration can offer dog owners the opportunity to 'test run' neutering of their animal, and pointed out that this is particularly useful for behavioural issues in young male dogs: "Twice yearly implants offer a practical alternative for clients, whether as a short or longer-term solution. As a solution focussed business, we are constantly striving to put forward a choice of options which can only have benefits for client and practice alike."

RCVS Knowledge is calling for all veterinary teams performing neutering in dogs, cats, and rabbits to submit their data to the National Audit for Small Animal Neutering (NASAN) on the vetAUDIT website before the 15th of October.

The NASAN is an audit for practices to share their data anonymously, to establish UK benchmarks in post-operative complications rates for small animal neutering.

Each year, RCVS Knowledge releases the national routine neutering benchmark to enable veterinary teams to compare their figures against the national average and use this data as part of a benchmarking exercise towards continuous improvements for neutering outcomes.

In 2020, 72% of neuters were complication-free, 13% lost to follow, and 15% of animals suffered an abnormality related to the operation, mostly requiring medical treatment.

Chris Gush, Executive Director of RCVS Knowledge, said, “Data submitted to the NASAN last year, and so far this year, has been lower than expected – likely due to the strain put on the professions by the pandemic.

"We believe many practices have neutering data that they have not been able to submit yet. We would be grateful for any unsubmitted neutering data for 2020 and 2021 to be sent to the NASAN, when practices are able, so that it can contribute to the national picture and allow us to gain the most accurate representation of the benchmarks for neutering in the UK.”

RCVS Knowledge is asking that practices submit their data for 2020 and 2021 by the 15th of October.

Anonymised data may already be available via the practice’s PMS and can be added to RCVS Knowledge’s spreadsheet. Practices can use the results to carry out their own audits and produce internal benchmarks, guidelines and checklists to help monitor their progress and help reduce complication rates by using RCVS Knowledge’s free Quality Improvement resources. The yearly benchmarks are reported in November each year.

You can submit your data from 2020 and 2021 on the vetAUDIT website: https://vetaudit.rcvsk.org/nasan

RCVS Knowledge has created a ‘How to guide’ for using the NASAN, which can be watched on YouTube: https://youtu.be/otoyYK3heCQ

The British Veterinary Association has given a cautious welcome to the merger of the Animal Health Agency (AH) and the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) announced yesterday by Secretary of State Caroline Spelman.

Professor Bill Reilly, President of the BVA said: "On the face of it there could be significant benefits in merging these two key animal health organisations. Already, at local and national levels, the two agencies are required to work closely and if done properly we could have one body that is completed committed to animal health.

"However, every veterinary surgeon will want reassurance that the merger will not simply become another way to cut costs by reducing the number of people working on disease surveillance and research. It is vital that both organisations continue to deliver under the new body.

"The merger could have an impact on responsibility and cost sharing plans, the tendering exercise for Official Veterinarian (OV) work, and the future of animal health delivery in the devolved administrations. The BVA is therefore calling for a wide consultation on how the merged organisation will work to ensure the best for the veterinary profession, farming community and all other interested organisations."

Liverpool based online CPD provider, The Webinar Vet reports that more than 350 veterinary surgeons from over 30 countries registered for its first virtual Veterinary Congress held earlier this month.

The one day congress consisted of six streams with top speakers from the UK, Australia and the USA covering radiology of the chest, cardiology, endocrinology, feline internal medicine, practice management and dermatology, totalling 18 hours of CPD.All six streams can still be accessed by delegates after the congress.

Anthony Chadwick MRCVS, founder of The Webinar Vet said: "Delegates were able to watch two streams on the day and then the other lectures at their leisure. And those who were unable to attend on the day, they can still register to access the congress.

"I was so pleased with the way the congress went. We had internationally renowned speakers being beamed into our homes without us having to go out in the cold wet weather to drive somewhere. Many of the early bird delegates also enjoyed the Fairtrade goodies we sent them in the post to enjoy during the coffee breaks."

Joe Hollins MA VetMB MRCVS, senior veterinary officer on the Island of St Helena has been based there since 2009, and believes that the Webinar Vet CPD has been a lifeline. He sent this message to the team: "Many congratulations to you and your team for putting together what must be deemed an historic event, the first ever virtual international veterinary congress. It's no mean feat. Your masterly control of proceedings, your cool, calm response to small technical glitches, the background coordination of proceedings by your staff; all this combined to create a useful, instructive, purposeful day.

"The fact that you manage to attract world class speakers says it all. My isolation in St Helena from 2009 initially presented me with major concerns regarding my CPD commitment, but The Webinar Vet has resolved any issues - and some. In fact my access to CPD has been greatly enhanced, and whether I was in the UK or not, I would encourage anyone involved in the profession to enrol."

Veterinary surgeons can buy recordings of the event at www.theinternationalwebinarvet.com

The RCVS Fellowship is looking for members of the veterinary profession to join its Fellowship Credentials Panel, which makes recommendations for who should become an RCVS Fellow.

Every year, the RCVS invites members of the veterinary profession to apply to join the RCVS Fellowship.

Becoming a member of the Fellowship is a recognition of an individual’s contribution to the professions and their commitment to advancing the scientific achievements of the veterinary sector.

Everyone that applies to join the Fellowship needs to demonstrate the impact they have had throughout their career on the veterinary professions.

The Fellowship Credentials Panel is responsible for reviewing and scoring Fellowship applications and making recommendations for who should be approved.

Angharad Belcher, Director for Advancement of the Professions, said: “Being part of our Fellowship Credentials Panel is a great opportunity to see the huge amount of dedication to the profession that prospective Fellows have shown throughout their careers, and to then celebrate their achievements when they are successfully welcomed to the Fellowship later in the year”.

To apply to join the Fellowship Credentials Panel, download and complete the application form (https://www.rcvs.org.uk/fellowship/credentials-panel-recruitment-2022/), then email it to Ceri Chick, Senior Leadership Officer at c.chick@rcvs.org.uk with a CV by 5pm on 28 February 2022.